by ALEXANDRA CAUFIN // photography by MIKE CHAJECKI

Interior designer Kate Davidson seamlessly blends styles with a striking black and white palette

NOTHING EXISTS without its opposite. I’m hardly the first to point this out (the line in fact belongs to American novelist Chris Crutcher). Only with frost can we understand fire, Bronte writes. The summer is sweeter for the cold days of winter, observes Steinbeck. Sorrow and gladness coexist to beautiful effect, Saadi muses, the rose made even more majestic by its thorn.

In short, something’s proximity to its opposite makes it all the more powerful, all the more felt, all the more pronounced. Architecturally, contrast remains one of the most pivotal tools in enhancing interactions between forms—drawing attention to essential curves, angles and textures. In the world of high contrast design, black and white is perhaps the most timeless of duos, the only tonal dyad that is both complementary (opposite on the colour wheel) and monochromatic (of the same colour class).

In this paradoxical arrangement exists something magical—and if you begin to look, you’ll find living proof everywhere. This GTA-area home, for instance, conceived by designer Kate Davidson, shows us the power of this essential pairing.

In its original form, the 3,500 square-foot house in Lorne Park was like many in the neighbourhood, defined by traditional Georgian architecture. But before Davidson’s interior vision could be brought to life, the home’s layout required an overhaul. Creating a sense of flow between the various spaces on the first floor was a primary request of her clients, as was the addition of a powder and mudroom.

The existing kitchen was also too compact for a family home, so Davidson doubled its square footage, adding eat-in dining alongside a wine cabinet and bar station. Why choose between a kitchen island, or a peninsula? This space has both, the latter bridged from the window at the centre of the room to create an area for entertaining separate from food prep.

Meanwhile, in the foyer, a dated curving staircase was replaced with modern floating risers and angular railings. The spacious living room connects to the kitchen, mudroom and backyard, achieving the airy movement between spaces the owners were after. Now, to create an aesthetic flow from room to room while lending each its own sense of personality.

Davidson was more than up to the task, describing cohesion and elegance as guiding principles of her 12-year-old design firm, Kate and Co. Wide oak flooring began the interior design process, establishing a foundation that was soft but current. Her clients embraced a high contrast palette from the start loving its striking energy and talent for elevating spaces. But the approach also risked coldness and alienation, a problem Davidson avoids through the infusion of more traditional décor styles.

For instance, the sizeable living room was the perfect spot to infuse a subtle boho spirit. Two black walls create a contemporary atmosphere while the fireplace between them is refaced in white horizontal shiplap and a chevron mosaic of glass tiles. It’s an effortless infusion of old world charm, echoed by a heavy, oversized coffee table in espresso-toned oak. Wooden bowls, woven baskets and a jute rug add more hits of natural and handmade, a signature of the style. Here, you can see and feel the resonance of the high contrast palette. Against one of the dark walls, a bouquet of wheat seems to glow, and the bulbous curves of a ceramic vase become magnetizing.

“You could do all sorts of things with this wall space,” Davidson says. “Cabinets, built-in shelving or artwork. But to be honest, it doesn’t need anything else. It resonates all on its own.”

The room is a powerful example of how a space can harness the warm, comfy energy of a traditional style like boho in a measured way. For homes in a region defined by bricks, beams, snowy winter days and the dark waters of Lake Ontario, Davidson’s subdued, black and white version offers a satisfying alternative to the popular California boho of the moment.

In the dining room, where a more formal and evocative atmosphere was welcome, Davidson accents another oversized table with chairs in the style of mid-century designer Pierre Jeanneret. A chandelier with a nod to industrial style adds drama and art deco vibes. Two side-by-side paintings done in a forties abstract expressionist style soften the room’s angular forms with a series of flowing curves. Practical, polished and streamlined, the expansive kitchen mixes white porcelain with light and dark cabinetry and standout moments like a dramatic charcoal cube encasing the range hood. Faced with many cupboards and doors, Davidson opted for black hardware that fades into the background and makes standouts of the bronze faucets.

While the main floor’s contemporary essence is anchored by black and white tones and architectural features like the updated staircase; traditional detailing like Victorian curtailed risers and door frames enhance the balance of old and new.

Davidson also points out the spectrum of colour that begins to reveal itself as you settle into the space. “You might read it as black and white at first, but then you’ll start to see all of these other tones—grey, oatmeal, bronze. Without those warmer shades, it would feel a little flat—colder and more sterile.” Look carefully and you shall find; in the living room, a large painting and series of accessories bring out the warmth of the oak flooring. In the dining room and kitchen, bronze-detailed light fixtures add romance and dimension to the black and white palette.

Though this home makes it look effortless, high contrast spaces are not easy to achieve. They risk a sense of starkness or imbalance. But when done right, one of their most compelling features is the way they can create harmony among design histories through a streamlined palette. If contrast is the joy of life, variety is no doubt its kin. And a mode that can balance a range of moods with an overall sense of unity has, at its heart, both.